Page 33 of Ground Zero (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #3)

M averick paced to the kitchen table, where Sheridan sat behind the laptop.

“May I?” He nodded to her computer.

She hesitated before sliding the computer over.

He dropped into the seat beside her, and his fingers found the keyboard.

“I can create a small anomaly in Norfolk’s visitor management system,” he murmured. “Nothing major, just enough to trigger a security review without causing panic.”

“Why not just wait for Trey to answer your text?”

“If Norfolk goes to heightened alert, he’ll be more receptive to warnings about a real threat.”

“Makes sense,” she murmured. “But won’t that be traced back to us?”

“Not if we route it through enough proxies.” He continued typing. “We need to make them nervous, not suspicious.”

Sheridan glanced at him. “You’re committing a federal crime.”

He met her gaze. “I’m saving lives. Sometimes the rules have to bend.”

“Danny would have agreed with that statement.”

For the next twenty minutes, Maverick created a digital probe that would trigger Norfolk’s intrusion detection systems without actually breaching anything important. It was delicate work—too subtle and it would be ignored, too aggressive and it would trigger the wrong kind of response.

“There.” Maverick let out a breath as he watched the script being executed. “It’s done.”

“Now what?”

“Now we watch what they do.”

Sheridan crossed her arms and nodded. “So we wait.”

“While we do that, let’s see what’s so special about the timing.” His fingers began to fly over the keyboard again. “I’m curious about the timetable. Why seventy-two hours? Why that specific day?”

“Good question.”

Maverick navigated to the base’s public affairs page, scanning through press releases and scheduled events. Most of it was routine—change of command ceremonies, community outreach programs, construction updates.

Then he saw it.

“Oh no.” The words escaped before he could stop them.

Sheridan twisted in her chair to look at him. “What?”

He pointed at the screen where a press release announced the upcoming arrival of NATO’s newest submarine for a joint training exercise. “The HMS Valiant . British Astute-class nuclear submarine. She’s arriving tomorrow for a two-week joint operation.”

“So?”

“So she’ll be in the submarine pens for maintenance and resupply.

That means they’ll have British and American nuclear submarines in the same facility, along with their crews and support staff.

” Maverick’s mind raced through the implications.

“If Sigma hits the submarine pens during that window . . .”

“They could take out multiple nuclear submarines and create an international incident.” Sheridan’s face went pale. “This isn’t just about attacking America. These people are trying to fracture NATO.”

Maverick continued to scroll through the site, his stomach sinking with each new detail.

“It gets worse,” he murmured. “Look at this—there’s a diplomatic reception scheduled. The British First Sea Lord, several members of parliament, US Navy brass, local government officials. They’ll all be on base for the welcoming ceremony.”

“Maximum casualties, maximum political impact.” Sheridan pushed back from the laptop and sighed. “We have to stop this.”

“The question is how.”

Silence stretched between them.

If someone with legitimate credentials was already inside, already positioned . . . then their task was going to be even harder.

“We need to know who from Blackout has access,” he said, “who’s assigned to Norfolk for the next couple of days.”

Sheridan paused before nodding slowly. “Which means I need to go back to headquarters.”

The thought of her walking back into that building, where someone might want her dead, made Maverick’s chest tighten.

But she was right. They needed that information.

“When?” His jaw tightened as he asked the question.

“First thing tomorrow morning. Any earlier, and it’ll look suspicious.” She glanced at her watch. “That gives us tonight to prepare.”

Tonight. Less than forty-six hours until a nuclear submarine and thousands of people became targets.

Maverick felt the weight of each ticking second.

His phone buzzed with an encrypted message. He checked it, expecting a response from Trey.

Instead, four words appeared.

We need to talk.

It was from Jake.

Maverick showed the screen to Sheridan with a grimace. “Either Jake’s trying to help, or the traitor just made contact.”

He and Sheridan exchanged a long, loaded glance.